New EDF Maps Show Climate Change Is Raising Costs Nationwide, Federal Rollbacks Will Make It Worse

Environmental Defense Fund today launched new interactive maps and real-life stories showing how climate change is already raising costs for families, straining water supplies and driving more billion-dollar disasters across the United States. The maps underscore the vital importance of defending core climate protections that help advance clean solutions, cut harmful pollution, save people money and support jobs nationwide. 

Across the West, extreme heat, drought and wildfire are already breaking records in 2026. More than 30 cities and 17 states recorded their hottest March temperatures. Snowpack in the Colorado River basin has fallen to record lows, putting water supplies for 40 million people at risk and increasing the risk of a more severe wildfire season.  

The maps show that repealing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Endangerment Finding would increase climate pollution, raising costs and health risks for Americans. The Endangerment Finding is the legal foundation under the Clean Air Act for limiting climate pollution because it recognizes the harm to people’s health and welfare. In February, the Trump Administration attempted to repeal it, along with national standards for cars and trucks. 

“Climate change is driving extreme weather, worsening air quality, harming people’s health and raising costs for Americans,” said Ellen Robo, EDF’s Senior Manager of Clean Air Policy and Analytics. “Clean solutions available now can cut pollution and save people money. Repealing these protections will raise costs and put more families at risk.” 

What the maps show: 

• Every county is getting hotter. Temperatures have increased nationwide, driving more extreme heat, crop losses and poor air quality. Heat-related deaths have risen more than 50% over the past two decades.
• Water systems are under strain. Snowpack has declined at 81% of monitored sites in the West since 1955, reducing a critical source of water for agriculture and communities.
• Disaster costs are rising. The U.S. has experienced 426 billion-dollar disasters since 1980 totaling more than $3.1 trillion in losses. Nearly half of those costs have occurred in the past decade.
• Household costs are increasing. Insurance premiums are rising as climate risk grows. In parts of Florida, homeowners are paying up to $1,500 more per year, pricing some families out of coverage and shifting more costs onto households. 

 How repealing the Endangerment Finding and clean vehicle standards will worsen harms: 

• Increase climate pollution. Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S., and eliminating clean vehicle standards could add 18 billion metric tons of pollution by 2055, roughly three times total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions last year.
• Increase health harms. More smog and soot could drive up to $500 billion in health damages by 2055, including premature deaths, asthma attacks and hospital visits, with at least 26 states facing $5 billion or more in damages.
• Increase costs. Forcing Americans to rely on higher-polluting vehicles could cost up to $1.4 trillion more in gasoline by 2055, with 36 states facing over $10 billion each in added fuel costs and 11 states over $40 billion. Actual impacts could be far higher as our analysis predates current high gas prices.

The series features firsthand accounts from Americans already feeling these impacts. In Las Vegas, family physician Dr. Joanne Leovy reports rising cases of heat-related illness, particularly among lower-income patients. In Houston, resident Faye Ku spent more than $2,000 to relocate after Hurricane Beryl damaged her apartment, recovered only $500 from FEMA and took on debt to cover the rest. 

Climate change is already raising costs for households and states. Clean energy and transportation solutions are available to substantially cut this harmful pollution, lower costs and support jobs in communities across the country. The Trump Administration’s move to repeal the Endangerment Finding and clean vehicle standards would increase harmful climate pollution and shift even more costs and risks onto families and communities. Explore the interactive maps and stories to see how these impacts are unfolding in your state, what is at stake if protections are rolled back and why these protections matter.